The field of exercising weight training and physical therapy is replete with exercising apparatuses that are designed to exercise practically every part of the human body. These exercising apparatuses include individual hand-grip exercises, bar-bells and dumbbells, treadmills and other aerobic and non-aerobic apparatuses. One of the most popular exercise apparatus is referred to as a multi-station gym that incorporates into a single structure all the elements necessary to perform a: bench press, shoulder press, lat pulldown, tricep pushdown, abdominal crunch, pectoral contractor, rear deltoid, leg curl, leg extension, standing arm curl, leg press, upright row, seated row, lower backextension and a back hyperextension.
Most multi-station gyms incorporate a seat and a cushioned back pad that is angularly adjusted by a back-pad adjusting device. The adjustment is necessary to compensate for the stature of the exercising individual and/or to perform some of the above-listed exercises. In many of the current multi-station gyms, the back-pad adjusting device is complex and is not ergomonical designed to allow the back pad to be easily and quickly adjusted. The inventive back-pad adjusting device is simply and ergomonical designed to allow the back pad to be quickly and easily positioned.
A search of prior art patents and sales literature did not disclose any back-pad adjusting designs that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents were considered related:
______________________________________ PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 4,015,878 Perkins 5 April 1977 2,985,225 Hendrickson et al 23 May 1961 1,922,418 Conant 15 August 1933 ______________________________________
The Perkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,878 discloses a chair construction that includes a lower back and an upper back. The upper back is selectively positionable vertically relative to the lower back by a releasable retaining mechanism. This mechanism includes a ratchet and pawl means that consists of a pair of parallel spaced, vertically extending toothed racks. The racks are fixed laterally to the rear side of the upper back rest and engage a movable parallel bar that allows the upper back to be vertically positioned.
The Hendrickson et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,225 disclosed a seat having a base and a back rest section. The back rest section is pivotally adjusted relative to the seat by a latching mechanism. The mechanism consists of a notched plate that is attached to the side of the back rest and a spring-loaded latching rod. To adjust the back rest, the latching rod is pulled outwardly, the back rest is selectively positioned and the latching rod is released into a selected notch on the notched plate.
The Conant U.S. Pat. No. 1,922,418 discloses a posture regulating chair that includes a mechanism for adjusting the back portion of the chair. The mechanism includes a pivoting member which has an arcuate slot with a plurality of cavities on its upper edge. The cavities mesh with a pin that is inserted into one of the cavities to regulate the position of the back portion of the chair.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates reference may be made to the following patents issued to:
______________________________________ PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 4,394,047 Brunelle 19 July 1983 3,235,308 Conner 15 Feb. 1964 3,015,520 Johnson 2 Jan. 1962 2,355,762 Van Derveer 17 June 1938 ______________________________________